so i saw prometheus and i just have to say that … i really want to like hollywood sci-fi movies (and tv shows) … i really, really do … but they are sooo irritating, and not (just) because of the pc stuff in ’em.

i can’t fully like hollywood sci-fi movies ’cause they’re ANTI-science/technology/curiosity about the universe! (maybe that’s all part of the pc package, too.) i don’t know how they manage to combine that with science-fiction, but they do — and it’s so annoying!

take one of my favorite sci-fi movies: alien. terrific movie, of course, even if the hero was a heroine. (that’s a whole ‘nother discussion — ripley’s great, of course, but there are way too many heroines nowadays.) but why was it that kane — the guy who was the most curious about the alien signal and volunteered to investigate and went first into the alien spacecraft — why was it that he had to be the one to get killed first by the alien? curiosity killed the cat? is that what we’re supposed to learn from that? that’s just irritating!

also the android, ash — probably the most advanced example of human technology in 2122 — and he’s baaaad, of course. ’cause technology is baaaad? bladerunner, too. what? are we not supposed to make robots? *facepalm* i’m ok with the all stuff about evil corporations in both movies, but the anti-science/technology/curiosity themes really turn me off.

even my favorite sci-fi flick — star wars. fanstatic tale of heroes and friendships! but then all that nonsense about “the force” and turning off the targeting computer?! han solo was the only sensible guy there.

and now in prometheus … SPOILER ALERT … i guess genetic engineering must be baaad. that’s the take away message i got anyway.

*sigh*

sadly television sci-fi is no better. they may as well call it all “syfy” ’cause it’s all so gay. (no offense to homosexual people.)

p.s. – i guessed right about the origin of the xenomorphs, though. (^_^) not precisely, but generally speaking.

p.p.s. – oh, and one other thing … SPOILER ALERT … there is no way — NO WAY — that the female protagonist in prometheus, dr. shaw , would’ve been able to run around like that after her *surgery* — NO WAY. those surgical staples would not have held up under all of that activity. couldn’t suspend my disbelief at those points in the movie.

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yup. the foundational stuff is written by people with a techie imagination but the subsequent films are written by more literary types who are always likely to unconsciously add a more arts-minded spin. i try to just soak in the visual components and ignore the surrounding nonsense.

Greying Wander is right. The trend towards anti-science, non-science, scientism and future dystopias began in the 1960s with the invasion of the “New Wave” movement, largely British like J. G. Ballard but with some Americans like Philip K. Dick.

About the robots, you must hate The Terminator then. ;P Unless, the takeaway from the films isn’t that we shouldn’t build robots, but we should be careful and not imbue them with too much power. Like this.

@jayman – “Unless, the takeaway from the films isn’t that we shouldn’t build robots, but we should be careful and not imbue them with too much power.”

sure. but why can’t we have at least half of the movies/tv shows offering positive portrayals of robots/advanced technology. more stuff like the lovable droids in star wars. (^_^) or how the droid in aliens turned out to be a-okay. mr. data is all right, of course, but his purpose on star trek is mostly to show how wonderful human emotions are — and they are, of course, but do we have to hear about it aaaall the time? can’t we just have some cool robots/advanced technology in hollywood sci-fi and maybe show how great it could be? i, personally, don’t feel there’s enough of that.

@jayman – “About the robots, you must hate The Terminator then. ;P”

(^_^) i actually never got that much into the terminator movies ’cause of ahhhhnold. not my favorite actor.

Alien is essentially a horror film ; it’s about people discovering forces they can’t control or comprehend and battling for survival ( mostly in vain) when they unleash it. Ripely comes out the other end, but she’s been irrevocably altered.
It’s Lovecraftian, really ( a Rightist & Materialist, He.)
Are these films about Science? No more than science is about discovering the unknown; a human urge that predates formal science.
While I’m at it, I don’t think that Scientists shouldn’t be aware of potential dangers in a basic way. There’s no reason why every discovery should have implications that could be said to enhance the human experience ( or the human race, for that matter ).
And really, where is the drama if there is no threat?

I think the dystopian novels took off around the time “scientific” dystopias were actually happening .( Stalin).
Frankenstein is Faust & contemporary “anti science” really took off after a couple of bombs dropped in Japan.
There is no reason to give “science” some kind of positive agency or purity of character. It is a tool, nothing more & it’s as “good” as those who wield it. That someone should be harangued for calling into question potentially harmful outcomes is pretty silly.

@uland – “Alien is essentially a horror film ; it’s about people discovering forces they can’t control or comprehend and battling for survival ( mostly in vain) when they unleash it. Ripely comes out the other end, but she’s been irrevocably altered.”

yeah. i always took it as a “slaying the dragon” story.

@uland – “Are these films about Science?”

no, i know they’re not about science, but there is a general trend, i think, in hollywood sci-fi movies/tv to portray science only (or mostly) in a negative light. i’m kinda tired of that.

@uland – “There’s no reason why every discovery should have implications that could be said to enhance the human experience ( or the human race, for that matter )…. There is no reason to give ‘science’ some kind of positive agency or purity of character. It is a tool, nothing more & it’s as ‘good’ as those who wield it. That someone should be harangued for calling into question potentially harmful outcomes is pretty silly.”

to your first sentence there: no, of course not. i’m not asking for hollywood to give a purely positive spin on science in sci-fi movies. what i’m asking for is for them to stop giving it only a negative spin.

Mostly I just thought everyone was an idiot. They spend “a trillion dollars” to send fool like that (get lost in cave, etc.) to a different planet………….. ugh. I also really wanted to like Dr. Shaw, she looked badass in the trailer, but her actions were just as silly as the rest. I did like the pilot though, he is a good actor.